We see celebrity chefs on our televisions all the time, and over the past five years they’ve gone from being stuck in their their rather pristine home kitchens, to working in and around their restaurants. Visiting one of those restaurants can make a really great night out, and while the majority of celebrity chef restaurants are dotted around London, there are some that are located as far west as Cornwall.

Speaking of which, a restaurant in Cornwall is the gastronomic center for Oxfordshire-born, fish expert Rick Stein. Named ‘Stein’s Fish & Chips’, Rick’s restaurant is a quaint, typically seaside-eque place in Padstow, Cornwall. It’s been open since 2009, and the television chef was keen to keep it a traditional Cornish pub. Carrying on the traditional British theme, fish and chips can either be eaten in or taken away, and at a modest price too. Battered cod and chips will set you back just £7.95, and the most expensive fish on the menu is grilled/battered monkfish and chips, at £12.45. We love the idea of being able to visit a celebrity chef’s restaurant, and still feel like you’re on a British holiday at the same time.

Also in Cornwall is one of Jamie Oliver’s reputable ‘Fifteen’ restaurants. You’ll also find one in Shoreditch, London, one in Amsterdam and one in Melbourne, Australia. The principle with each and every one of Jamie’s ‘Fifteen’ restaurants, is that a registered charity in the area (in this case CFoP - Cornwall Foundation of Promise) takes fifteen disadvantaged young people from the area, and trains them to work in the hospitality industry, some through the restaurant as chefs. For a very reasonable £55 per person, you can have the Dinner Tasting Menu, which involves five courses, followed by coffee and chocolates.

At the other end of the scale, and as far as inspiration and sheer creativity go, there’s not one restaurant in the UK that beats Heston Blumenthal’s ‘Fat Duck’ restaurant in Bray, Berkshire. Go ahead and google the restaurant’s ‘Taste Menu’ and take a look at the various blogs people have written about the gastronomic experience. ‘Experience’ is probably the best way to describe it, as dishes like whiskey wine gums and truffle toast served with a tray of moss and dry ice (for effect, not for eating) are served over a four hour period. You can expect to pay around £150 per head (not including wine), so it’s a special birthdays-only kind of treat, but one that’s well worth it if you’re a foodie fanatic.

We’ll finish off with the celebrity chef that we’ve all seen within a restaurant and restaurant kitchen setting: Gordon Ramsay. Gordon has a huge number of restaurants all over the UK, from his prestigious Boxwood Cafe in London (it’s moving location soon within the capital, so keep your eyes peeled) to ‘Plane Food’ - a restaurant at Heathrow Terminal. We recommend you try out Boxwood Cafe in its new location later in the year, and also the aptly named ‘Gordon Ramsay’ restaurant on Royal Hospital Road, London. Do be aware, though, that Gordon’s restaurants are all located in London.

Hopefully these examples have given you some inspiration on where to take your loved one for their anniversary, or where to go for your next birthday meal. It’s unfortunate that the two centres for celebrity chefs appear to be Cornwall and London, but thankfully they are two places that Britons love to holiday at, so chances are you’ll be able to visit one soon. If not, hold tight and put up with Gordon’s effing and blinding some more - he’s got his fingers in a lot of pies already and seems to show no signs of stopping.

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